Mr Gaddafi wants Caribbean countries included in the AU

The chairman of the African Union (AU), Libya's leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, has said he would like a United States of Africa to include what he called "Caribbean islands with African populations".

He pointed to Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

Colonel Gaddafi was speaking in the Libyan capital Tripoli at an event to celebrate his new role as the rotating head of the AU.

He suggested Caribbean islands should join the AU and become a bridge between Africa and Latin America.

The Libyan leader also said he would use his 12 months at the helm of the AU to try to resolve Africa's conflicts, including Darfur and Somalia.

Jego back in Guadeloupe

The French Minister for Overseas Departments, Yves Jego, arrived in Guadeloupe on Wednesday, for mediation talks aimed at ending a crippling three-week strike.

This is Mr Jego's second meeting with employers and union leaders, in a bid to end the industrial action.

He was accompanied by two negotiators sent by Prime Minister Francois Fillon.

The strike in the French department began on January 20, with workers demanding increased wages, lower taxes and a cut in fuel prices.

Meanwhile a working group was due to meet with island administrators in neighbouring Martinique on Wednesday, to discuss the lowering of the price of services in the French overseas territory.

The meeting follows an agreement by supermarkets on Tuesday, to a 20 percent cut in the price of 100 products, as a general strike over the high cost of living drags on.

IMF commends Antigua

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that it welcomes promises by the government of Antigua and Barbuda to contain spending and strengthen debt management.

At the same time, the Baldwin Spencer administration has pledged to bolster social programmes by implementing an unemployment insurance scheme.

The statement from the IMF came on the heels of a visit to the capital, St John's, by a team from the Washington-based financial institution.

Officials said Antigua's public debt has fallen by about 45 percentage points of national output since 2003, mainly due to strong growth and external debt forgiveness.

But it said the fiscal deficit remained high.

Chavez hits back at opposition

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has said the opposition and privately-owned media tried to incite what he called a religious war.

In a national television address, he said they had unjustly accused his government of fomenting anti-semitism after an attack on a synagogue in Caracas.

He said the opposition was wrong in suggesting that his harsh criticism of the Israeli government and its military offensive in Gaza had inspired anti-Semitism in Venezuela.

Eleven people, including eight police officers, have been arrested, accused of ransacking the temple.

Holiday mix-up

A British holidaymaker who booked a three-week trip said she ended up 1,300 miles away from her chosen destination after her travel agent mixed up her flights.

Samantha Lazzaris booked a trip to Costa Rica, in Central America, but ended up in Puerto Rico instead.

Miss Lazzaris did not realise she was in Puerto Rico until she boarded a taxi, and the driver told her she was in the wrong country.

It appears the mix-up may have been caused by the similarity of airport codes - SJO for San Jose and SJU for the airport in San Juan.

Miss Lazzaris had to fork out more than $1,000 on three extra flights - losing four days of her holiday - to get to her intended destination.